Best Places to Buy School Supplies in Oklahoma City

As August approaches, it is not just overwhelming heat that has you sweating. With your child's school supply list in hand, you search for the best places to buy those back to school supplies in Oklahoma City, the expense raising your temperature to record breaking levels. However, if you plan ahead, you may find you have enough left in your pocket to cool things off just a bit.

Also, visit the Guide to Back to School in Oklahoma City for information on start dates, uniform requirements, back to school shopping, immunizations, school lunches and more. Here are the best places to buy school supplies in the Oklahoma City metro area.

Whatever your opinions on huge corporations and the Wal-Mart clientele, it's hard to argue about its status as one of the best places to save money on school supplies in Oklahoma City. Plus, not only does Wal-Mart have good deals, the stores often feature an extensive selection of brands and items.

Target's selection and prices are on par with Wal-Mart's, for the most part. And like Wal-Mart, watch out for the double-edge sword of price versus availability. Prices can be fairly high until back to school time gets closer and shopping heats up with the annual sales tax weekend. Don't head out too soon or you'll wind up spending more than you think. But don't wait too long or the shelves will be quite a bit lighter.

The office supply stores typically have higher prices than Wal-Mart or Target, which is why you must be careful. But don't count them out completely. Watch the circulars. Every few days until school starts, Staples has certain supplies on sale for as little as a penny a piece. If you make multiple trips and play your cards right, you could walk out with everything you need, with money left over for the tax free weekend on back to school clothes.

See above note on Staples. However, while you will find specials and deals at Office Depot, it's been my experience that they won't be the rock-bottom type you can get at Staples. Still, there's an extensive selection, and it could make for a one-stop shop if you also need furniture, such as a study desk, or a computer for your kids.

I'd love to put a local store like Oklahoma City-based Mardel even higher on the list. Unfortunately, when you're talking about bargains, the chains are the place to go. That said, Mardel is very well-stocked on school supply items. Watch for their annual mid-July 20% off sale. You can save a lot on this day.

Dollar Stores

There are several options on the dollar store scene, including Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Family Dollar. While generally I don't find these to be much of a "bargain," particularly when considering quality, you can find some good deals here. Dollar Tree, specifically, can be a good place to save money on items such as Kleenex, antibacterial wipes, pencils, and glue. Just be aware when looking at the dollar stores' non-name brands that Crayola crayons and markers tend to be the staple for classrooms due to the higher quality and uniformity of color.

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Walgreens and CVS

Finally, you have your pharmacy stores such as Walgreens and CVS. I'd generally say you want to steer clear of these because prices throughout the store seem to be inherently higher than other places. That said, school supply bargain-hunting requires forethought and planning, and these places tend to have some really good coupons in the Sunday paper. Take note of these items before committing to one store for the whole lot.